Gameplay Tips

Master final fantasy xiii gameplay: stockpile Fortisols/Aegisols, never sell accessories, and understand star rankings for better spoils.

Items & Accessories:

• Stockpile all Fortisols & Aegisols; they are invaluable in some boss battles during later chapters in final fantasy xiii, where they can easily save you lots of time you’d otherwise spend casting buffs in battle.
• Never sell any accessories. Several accessories exist in limited quantities, and if you sell them, you won’t get a chance to get them again. If you want the “Treasure Hunter” trophy/achievement you will need to follow this advice to the letter.

Enemy Encounters:

• You will see all enemies onscreen in final fantasy xiii. It is possible to avoid some encounters, but some you will have to fight.
• Take care if you want to get all enemy entries - some enemies spawn other enemies into battle, but they will never get the chance to do so if you kill them too quickly.
• Pressing R1 during battle will access the Libra screen of all enemies in battle.

Post Battle:

• After the battle is won, you get items dropped by enemies (there’s no Steal command in final fantasy xiii).
• You also get CP, which are used to purchase upgrade nodes in the Crystarium.
• TP are used to trigger special commands during battle (Libra, Quake, Full Cure and a few others).
• Your HP is also completely recovered after each battle.

Star Ranking:

• After the battle is won, you will be given a star ranking in final fantasy xiii. Star rank depends on Target Time (time allotted for taking out all enemies), Initiative Bonus (with PS you get x1.2 multiplier), Battle Duration (how quickly you defeated all enemies), and Points Per Second (points awarded depend on how quickly you took out the enemies, damage incurred/taken, and some other factors).
• Star ranking has three uses: beating the final boss with five stars gives you a trophy; beating all Cie’th Stone Missions with five stars gives you a PS3 theme and a trophy/achievement; and it influences spoils obtained after battle – the higher the stars obtained, the better the spoils as a rule.

Restarting / Save Points:

• Save points in final fantasy xiii have multiple uses: save your game, purchase stuff in shops (more shops become available later in the game), and upgrade/disassemble equipment (available later in the game).
• You can also quit to title screen anytime while not in battle by pressing Start, then Select, and choosing ‘Yes’.
• You can restart any battle in the game by pressing Start, then Select, then choosing the top option, and choosing ‘Yes’. You will be returned to the map just before entering the battle.
• If your leader is KOed, it is game over. Choose the top option to restart the battle by being returned to the map just before entering the battle. If you choose the bottom option, you will be returned to the title screen.

Linear Progression:

• The game is extremely linear as a rule. Chapters 1-10, as well as 12-13 have you going on a set path, with some detours that usually lead to fighting more enemies or finding a treasure. Chapter 11 is the only one with a rather large area to explore and multiple missions to complete. You will spend the majority of the game there.
• You will be forced to play with fixed parties until the end of chapter 10 due to the nature of the story.

Roles:

• Eventually you’ll be able to assign roles to the characters in final fantasy xiii: Attacker / Commando (excels at physical combat), Blaster / Ravager (excels at magical combat), Defender / Sentinel (draws enemy’s attention and acts as a tank), Jammer / Saboteur (pesters enemies with negative statuses), Enhancer / Synergist (protects the party with positive statuses), and Healer / Medic (excels at healing the party and reviving KOed allies).

EXP / CP / Stats / Equipment:

• There are only three character stats: HP, STR and MAG.
• There are only two types of equipment: weapons & accessories.
• You can store a maximum of 999999 CP, the rest is then wasted.
• EXP exists, but it is used for leveling up your equipment. EXP is not gained by winning battles. Imagine CP like the game’s EXP.